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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25129912">Worry</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Funk/pseuds/Lady_Funk'>Lady_Funk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Worry [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Oxventure (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Dobbert if you squint, Gen, M/M, Rated M for language, i just really love writing angsty Dob okay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:09:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,145</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25129912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Funk/pseuds/Lady_Funk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BONE TO PICK PART 2.</p><p>The crew try to keep everyone together while Dob falls apart.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Implied Dob/Egbert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Worry [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825309</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Worry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We have to get him back.”</p><p>Dob stated the very thing his nearly fifteen-minute rant had said in much less simple terms as his frantic pacing across the captain’s quarters of the Joyful Damnation slowed to a stop. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, finally turning to face his friends. Most of them, anyway. They stared back at him through large, worried eyes. Why the hell were they not saying anything? Weren’t they upset? Egbert was gone!</p><p>“Dob,” Merilwen began. Her voice seemed calm by design. “We’re all concerned, but what’s important right now is that we keep our heads.” She spoke slowly, as if to a child who was having a tantrum, which did little to placate him. “You won’t be much help if you’re so worked up. Have you been sleeping alright?”</p><p>“Don’t patronize me, Merilwen.” It came out as more of a snarl than Dob had intended, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I’m fine.”</p><p>“Okay, but, you’re not,” Corazón interjected. He took a bottle of rum out from beneath the table he and the rest of the group were seated at, and began to pour it into a glass. “We all want him back, mate, but Merilwen’s right. You need to relax.” He extended his arm and offered Dob the glass. </p><p>Dob hesitated. He briefly contemplated slapping the glass out of his friend’s outstretched arm. Instead he seized the drink and downed it in one. This stuff was strong, better suited to polishing boots than consumption, but it did the trick. Not enough to affect him much, but barely enough to quiet the buzzing around the edges of his frayed nerves. His skull felt less like someone had struck a tuning fork against it. </p><p>He surged forward and took the bottle from Corazón, who looked surprised. Dob refilled the glass and swiftly finished the second drink, thrusting the bottle back into Corazón’s hand. There we go. His head started to swim pleasantly as the alcohol hit him. He walked back to stand in front of the table, placed his hands down, and took a deep breath. “Okay.” He said. His voice sounded unsteady even to him. “What’s the plan?”</p><p>“Uh—there isn’t one.” Corazón said. </p><p>“Then make one.” Dob looked directly at Corazón with a dark, stormy expression. Each word grated against Dob’s teeth as he spat them out, and he doubted anyone missed the break in his voice. He let his head fall between his shoulders.<br/>
“Or at least let me at that bottle again.” Those words sounded reedy and fragile. Dammit. He wouldn’t cry. Not now. Not ever. </p><p>In truth, he was furious. He’d known better than to let his guard down. They’d been caught by surprise one too many times and this wasn’t any different. He was stupid to think the danger had gone with the maw demons. The image of Egbert being struck across the jaw and taken had replayed behind his eyelids on the whole trip in the hammer back to the ship. He and Corazón hadn’t touched the billiards table this time. Dob had simply bundled himself up in the pile of hammocks and listened to Seal Gaiman bleat miserably. </p><p>He didn’t quite understand why this had seemed to affect him so much more than the others. He just noticed this icy tightness behind his sternum ever since Egbert was taken. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he definitely didn’t like it. </p><p>“Well, I already tried to identify the portal, and that came up empty,” Prudence said. “So I’m not sure what else we can do.”</p><p>Silence filled the chamber, save for the waves lapping up against the hull outside and the gentle creaking of wood. </p><p>“Anyone else?” Dob asked, tensely, wearily. He felt strangely small and exposed. He risked a glance up and saw that his friends still seemed concerned about him. About <i>him.</i> The realization pissed him off. He wasn’t the one in danger here. They had more important things to worry about. </p><p>Merilwen stood and walked over to beside where Dob was leaning against the table. She gingerly placed a hand on Dob’s shoulder. </p><p>“I know you’re worried, and so are we, but trust me when I say that you stressing yourself out half to death won’t solve anything.” Dob met her eyes and from her expression it looked like she knew more than she was letting on, perhaps even more than he did. </p><p>Why was he so upset, anyway? He’d lost a friend, he knew that much. But this sting was strange. It felt simultaneously much sharper and duller than any other pain he’d felt, and he knew with a slow turn of his gut that a part of him had already given up. The thought terrified him. </p><p>Merilwen’s voice snapped him out of his contemplation. “I think we should all get some rest and come at this tomorrow.” Her tone was soft, careful. She was tiptoeing around him again. He hated that. </p><p>“Tomorrow he could already be halfway across the fucking multiverse.” Dob said gravely, and he felt the tension in the room rise. Merilwen’s hand gripped his shoulder tighter, seemingly involuntarily, and he heard her gasp. </p><p>He rarely used harsh language, and certainly never anything this foul. He knew that none of them had heard him say anything close. </p><p>“Dob....” Merilwen began, but Dob brushed her off and was already walking away.</p><p>He turned to the others. “Guess I’ll get some sleep then.” He muttered. He didn’t wait for their reactions, simply strode out the door and let it close behind him. It didn’t close loud enough, he thought. He wanted it to slam. He wanted the sound to echo across the entire ocean, the entire continent. Even then, he doubted Egbert could’ve heard it. </p><p>All he got was a soft click. </p><p>~</p><p>Sleep didn’t come easily. It rarely did these days, and if he was honest with himself he hadn’t expected any different from tonight. No smell of smoke this time. Nobody snoring from the room beside him. </p><p>He felt hollower than he’d thought he would. Numb, and yet a dull ache. Every so often he’d suffer a pang of regret and wonder how the hell they were going to fix this. They’d gotten through some tough scrapes before, but this seemed so much more serious. He realized that Egbert had been a constant in his life since they’d met in The Bawdy Flamingo. It felt like forever ago now. They’d grown unbelievably close since then, and Dob had come to rely on Egbert fairly often. </p><p>Dob rolled over in bed and squeezed his eyes shut. Tomorrow they’d figure something out. Tomorrow they’d be one step closer to finding him. </p><p>Tomorrow he’d apologize to the rest of the group for losing his temper, and they’d work together to bring him back. </p><p>
  <i>I’m coming for you, buddy.</i>
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